Blind Love

Fire and Ice

"My claustrophobia acts up in small houses, but this'll do," Cheryl snidely claimed as she unlocked the door.

She opened the door carelessly and with force.

"Excuse me?"

Jughead cursed under his breath. Cheryl had just accidentally banged the door into his mother's face. His mother looked extremely displeased, due to the fact she had overheard Cheryl's comment on her house and that she had been hit by her own door.

The scene was so comical and awkward that even Cheryl did not know how to react.

"Hi, I'm Cheryl Blossom, and my claustrophobia is not acting up, so that means your house isn't small!" Cheryl managed to force out a cheery introduction.

Gladys' face showed she obviously did not want to welcome the three into her house, but she too plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Welcome Jughead, Cheryl, and you...must be a Lodge...," She faltered when she saw Veronica as she guessed she was a Lodge by her looks.

"Veronica," she confirmed with a small smile.

"Well, welcome dears, make yourselves comfortable. Your bedrooms are on the second floor. Jughead can take Jellybean's bedroom and you ladies can share the guest room. The bathroom is in between your rooms. You can refill and cook in the kitchen as you like, but do clean up after. The washing machine is in the kitchen, I've put instructions on how to operate it, and the hanging rack is in the yard. There are a few shops nearby that are accessible by foot. The chores list are on a sheet on the refridgerator. I wish you all a happy stay," Gladys rushed through the house tour, then disappeared into her room to take a rest, as it was her day off work today.

"Your mom's very welcoming," Cheryl sarcastically whispered to Jughead after Gladys had closed her bedroom door.

Veronica nudged Cheryl and glared at her. "It's rude to insult others in their own house."

"Since when do you care about manners? You disrespected me in my own house at cheerleading tryouts!" Cheryl complained. She was one to hold a grudge.

"That's different! You were being mean to Betty! And technically we were at the gym, not your house," Veronica dismissed her.

"Well you were being mean to me too, hypocrite! But you were at my cheer squad's tryouts, so technically I am the master of the house of cheerleading," Cheryl shot back.

"Guys, shut up," Jughead massaged his temple at the commotion. "Let's just go get some dinner somewhere near here, I'm hungry. You guys can continue fighting after we eat."

"We're not fighting," Veronica linked her arm with Cheryl's. "This is just part of our relationship."

"Yeah," Cheryl put her other hand on Veronica's. "But I wouldn't expect you hobo to understand such a complex concept."

"This is exactly why I stick to food. There's nothing complicated about food. Food plus me equals a perfect match," Jughead declared proudly. "Now can we leave?"

He was ecstastic when Cheryl and Veronica finally followed him out of the house in search of food.

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"Okay, now that I'm fed," Jughead finished the last sip of his soda. "Can you guys explain your friendship? It's so weird! One minute you're enemies and the other you're best friends."

"First of all, the only thing weird is you," Cheryl immediately defended her friendship with Veronica. "And second of all, have you never heard of the term 'frenemies'?"

"Think of it this way. If she's fire and I'm ice, fire and ice actually have a lot of similarities and differences. It's because we're so similar that our personalities clash horribly in some instances, but it's also because we understand each other so well that we're able to be each other's best friends when no one else understands us," Veronica tried to explain while stirring her milkshake.

"Mmhmm," Cheryl hummed in agreement. "When you mix fire and ice together, a very unique and beautiful result comes out, and that's us, that's our friendship."

"Girls are so weird," Jughead exclaimed after hearing their explanation.

"And Jughead Jones, I can't believe you are stuck in the 'girls are so weird, girls have cooties' stage. Grow up!" The redhead flicked her hair at him.

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"Hey, V, thank you," Cheryl Blossom propped herself up on the guest bed, combing her long hair.

Veronica raised an eyebrow and slid in under the covers on the guest bed as well. It was one of the rare moments where Cheryl Blossom was showing her vulnerable side.

"I guess I never told you this, but I'm really glad you're alive and well. Well, maybe not that well, but you're alive and recovering. I don't know what I'd do without TT and you. You two are always there for me, and no matter how many times I try to push you away or you try to push me away, we're always there for each other in times of need. It's like we're soulmates, best friend version," Cheryl smiled at Veronica sincerely.

"I love you too, Cheryl," Veronica grinned. "I will always hate you but I still love you. Meeting you and other people when I moved was one of the best things that have happened to me."

"That day, at Sweetwater River," Cheryl swallowed. It was not easy to talk about her attempted suicide even after years, but she needed to try. Talking about it was a crucial step in recovery.

"I texted you because a part of me hoped you would come save me. Yes, I had lost all hope and felt like I couldn't deal with everything that had happened. But above all, I just wanted to feel loved. Before Jason, I didn't have any friends, I only had minions. They didn't care about me, they just cared about the perks they get from being 'friends' with me. But you, you barely knew me and yet you were the one who ran after me during my breakdown at the pep rally right after Jason's death. You stayed with me and encouraged me throughout Jason's funeral. You took care of me after Archie got me out from the ice," By now, Cheryl was sobbing both happy and sad tears from the memories.

"Cheryl," Veronica immediately encased her into a warm hug, which Cheryl reciprocated.

Although everything was currently unknown and constantly changing to the trio, one thing was certain: these two would remain best friends forever.

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A/N I feel like Cheryl's mental health and the Cheronica friendship wasn't discussed enough in the show, so here's my take on what they would have discussed. What are your opinions on this and how do you think the scene would have went if Veronica and Cheryl ever discussed what had happened?